Things We Learned at the Sylvan Heights Bird Sanctuary

Recently our mermaid adventures brought us down to Greenville, NC for ECU's PirateFest. Since we were down in central North Carolina with a full free travel day, Amanda and I decided we should make something of it. The NC Zoo, while being on our list of places to go to learn things, was a bit out of the way. Over breakfast we decided that even if we couldn't make it to the zoo, we should make something more of our trip back to Richmond. Amanda did some quick Googling and found that the Sylvan Heights Bird Park was along our route and had owls. Since they had owls, we HAD to stop. We punched the address into our GPS and we were off.

The Sylvan Heights Bird Park is a gem hidden in the Halifax County North Carolina. The park functions as a bird research facility and houses bird from all over the world. Their mission is to provide a place for Zoologists and Biologists to hone their knowledge of these beautiful animals. Fortunately for us, this research center is also open to the public! Right as we parked we could hear the calls of all sorts of birds. Most notably, we heard the distinct call of the Kookaburra and knew we were in for a treat. This park has the world's largest collection of exotic and rare waterfowl. The birds featured there are incredible. We put together this video to give you a taste of what we saw.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/iframe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The exhibits at the park are &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;interactive&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; for lack of a better term. As bird lovers, especially Amanda, we were keen to see the birds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; varying personalities. Many of the exhibits allow the birds to approach the visitors at their leisure and this made the experience even more special. We could see the details of each bird&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s coloring in ways that we had seen&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;documentaries. I didn&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;t bring my professional camera or zoom lens and we were still able to get up close view of many of the birds.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;If you&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;re ever passing through Halifax County North Carolina, you should take a few hours to see this place; I think you&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;ll really enjoy it. It&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s a wonderful&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;place to Go Places and Learn Things.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Being bird lovers, especially Amanda, we were keen to notice the varying personalities of the birds. The exhibits at the park are "interactive" for lack of a better term. Many of the exhibits are designed so that the birds can interact with the visitors at their leisure. Even though I had left my professional camera and zoom lens at home, we were able to see the birds up close and soak in the details in the birds' coloring in a way that you would expect to see only in documentaries. These personal interactions with the birds made the experience unforgettable.

If you ever find yourself in Halifax County North Carolina, the Sylvan Heights Bird Park is an excellent place to and learn things!